Improvement in clothes-pins



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE LEWIS SPRAGUE AND CHARLES H. SPRAGUE, OFHENDERSON, NEW YORK.

IMPROVEMENT IN CLOTHES-PINS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 122,199, dated December26, 1871; antedated December 16, 1871.

We, LEWIS SPRAGUE and CHARLES H. SPRAGUE, of the town of Henderson,county of Jefferson and State of New York, have invented a Non-SplittingClothes-Pin and Tightener, of which the following is a speciiication:

' Our invention consists of a machine (or pin) made in two sections.rlhe first is the tightener and handle, made of wood or any suitablematerial, and round, about three inches in length and one inch indiameter, with a five-eighth inch hole bored out of the center the wholelength of the same, with the exception of about one-half inch from one(or the upper) end, which is left solid, the other end being open. Thereis also an open slot one-eighth inch wide and one and one-fourth inchlong' through one side of this section, diagonally or straight,whichever is most desirable, the purpose of which is to admit of a pinthe size of said slot to work up and down in the same. The clamps orsecond section consist of a piece about three and one-half inches long,turned round, with a shoulder upon one (or the lower) end, which part,below the shoulder, is threefourths of an inch in diameter and one inchlong, and is divided into and made to form two jaws in such a manner asto receive and hold a line between them of any material or size of lessthan one-half of an inch in diameter. The other part of this piece,above the shoulder, is turned to fit the live-eighth chamber in thefirst section, and is sltted in the center from the shoulder and jaws towithin about three-fourths of an inch of the upper end. This section isinserted into the veeighth inch chamber in the. tightener and handle,and a pin inserted into it through the slot inthe saine, which pinprotrudes through said slot about one-eighth of an inch to allow thepressure ofthe thumb or finger while the jaws are being adjusted uponthe line. Its use is also to attach and hold the two sections togetherwhen not in use.

To use the clothes-pin when complete take it in either hand, let theinside section drop down its full length, then place the thumb or Engerupon the pin in the slot of the tightener and handle and adjust the jawsof the inside section upon the line where required, after which removethe thumb or finger from the pin, and press down upon the tightener andhandle until it is as iirm upon the line as is required, To remove itfrom the lin'e it is only necessaryfto take hold of the tightener andhandle, pull, and turn it gently to the left, which will cause theinside section to draw out and thereby loosen the jaws upon the line.

We claim as our invention- The combination of the tightener and clampstogether, forming a nclothes-pin, as shown and described, and for thepurposes as set forth.

LEWIS SPRAGUE.

Witnesses: CHARLES H. SPRAGUE.

LoRIN B. SIMMONS, ARTHUR' J. ARMSTRONG.

